Blue Eyes Pink Dragon
by Kurohi Tatsaki
Summary: DISCONTINUED...? It is during Battle City in Domino. There's a new kid in town, & he's spiralling quickly in love wSeto Kaiba! OCKaiba, Yaoi! Rating WILL raise after 3rd chapter!
1. The Fifth Blue Eyes White Dragon

Chapter One: Fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and never will. I am only playing with these beautiful creatures! Do not complain if this sucks because this is the first time I've done a Kaiba/Male OC pairing! Rating WILL go up.  
  
Chapter Rating: PG-13 for violence and minor swearing.  
  
"speaking" 'thinking' /hikari thoughts to yami/ //yami thoughts to hikari//  
  
"I sacrifice Fairy's Gift to play Yamadron! Yamadron! Attack - Direct hit!"  
  
Charging up flames in each of its skulled three heads, it attacked the opponent. His Life Points quickly dropped to five hundred. He growled.  
  
"Let's hold off this beast! Ryu-Kishin Powered, I summon you!"  
  
'Matte... I have that card...' the first player thought, then corrected himself, 'No dah... there're more than a few copies...'  
  
"And that'll be my turn!"  
  
"Fine! Using my Monster Reborn Card, I'll resurrect my Tyhone #2 from the Graveyard! Tyhone #2! Attack with fireballs upon Ryu-Kishin Powered!"  
  
The fiend fell, and the winning boy finished the losing boy off with his Yamadron. He said, "I think I now have custody of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and your locator card."  
  
"Hmph! You got lucky," the black-haired boy sulked, tossing the cards his opponent's way. The boy caught it with two fingers.  
  
"He-llo, Red-Eyes. Don't worry, kid. I won't use 'im as a coaster. Dragons happen to be my favorite type of cards alongside beasts... I think I'll put him in my deck." He smirked. "A pleasure fighting you. Ciao!"  
  
He walked off, not noticing the sharp amethyst gaze on him from above. //Thank goodness I have Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon with me. But who is this one?// Making his way off the roof and out of the building, Yami sought out the blue-eyed opponent who liked dragons. However, he wasn't the only one following. //Kaiba?! What's he doing here?!!//  
  
"Hey, you!"  
  
"Hum?" The boy turned around, large gaze almost piercing. "You talkin' to me, Kaiba?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw how you dueled. Perhaps we'll meet again in the finals."  
  
"Doubtful," clipped the boy, turning his gaze to the edge of the lower wall to his left. "As much as I am a skilled duelist, I lack quite a bit and have lost against even some of the weaker opponents before. Namely, my brothers."  
  
"Hm. Are they fighting in my tournament?"  
  
"No. They all wanted ME to go in their place. They don't want to lose their Dark Magician and Relinquished, respectively from youngest to oldest, age-wise." He continued to stare at the ground when he finally composed himself to look up again.  
  
"Anyway, I don't think that's why you stopped me."  
  
"That's right. The records say you have a fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon.-"  
  
'A fifth Blue-Eyes White Dragon?'  
  
"-There are only four, and I own three and have seen the fourth. Your fifth must be fake!"  
  
Deep blue eyes narrowed to near slits. "I *dare* you to come over here and tell me that to my face!"  
  
Kaiba did as said dare. "You are not allowed to use counterfeit cards. Hand it over, kid. I don't think I allowed six-year-olds into my tournament!"  
  
Something seemed to snap. "I am NOT six years old! I'm FIFTEEN!"  
  
"Who cares? Hand it over!"  
  
"Seto~! Maybe he's tellin' the truth!"  
  
"Mokuba?" murmured Kaiba, looking behind himself. His young brother dashed up to the boy who had said counterfeit card.  
  
"Look," murmured the unnamed boy. "if you want to see if my card is counterfeit or not, here it is." He held it out, caution accenting his features. "But don't rip it."  
  
Kaiba meant to take it, and possibly rip it - just like he did with Solomon's Blue-Eyes, but Mokuba took it and checked it instead. "S-Seto! It... It's not counterfeit! This kid actually has a FIFTH Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"  
  
"Yes, and my eldest brother has a sixth Blue-Eyes White Dragon."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"All from the same place. We even had them both undergo the 'fake card' check."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
A short pause.  
  
"May I have my card back? I'm rather edgy about people handling my powerful and rare cards."  
  
Mokuba handed back the card. The blue-eyed boy took the card and placed it in the middle of his deck, shuffling it once or twice. "Arigatou. It's one of my favorite cards. and I'm a big fan of the Blue-Eyes Dragons. See?" He held up a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon Dog Tag. They glinted in the sunlight. "Anyway, I don't think I introduced myself just yet. My name is Kurohi Tatsaki. I just moved into Domino Town a few days ago. (A/N: The tournament started yesterday.) and I don't know many people. I only know your name, Kaiba, because I heard everyone else call you 'Kaiba'."  
  
"Hn. And that's all?"  
  
'Jerk...' "Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I ought to continue doing nothing," he said sarcastically. '...That's what happens when you have no friends. You're mean to everyone else...' "so buzz off!"  
  
"Hey! Kurohi, you can't talk to my Big Brother like that!"  
  
'They're *brothers*?!' All he did was give the black-haired boy a somewhat dead look. "I apologize. Had I known you were brothers, I would not have said what I did." With a slightly weak flourish, he turned around, and started trudging away, but stopped and turned around slightly. "...I suppose I'll be seeing you sometime?"  
  
Kaiba, who had been going in the opposite direction at the time, merely waved him off. "Sooner or later."  
  
"Yeah! You're a duelist, and you're in this tournament, so sure!"  
  
The boy's eyes shimmered a little in the sunlight. A small smile creeping onto his face. With double energy, he waved to Mokuba and dashed off in the other direction, only the front of his feet touching the ground per stride.  
  
//Hmm... I think your abilities are getting a little rusty.// Once he reached the corner he grit his teeth a little. 'Damn... now time to let the shit hit the fan... They're gonna kill me when I get back...'  
  
"Hey, Black Fire!"  
  
He turned to the source. "B-Bandit-sama...!" (A/N: No, not Bandit Keith. A different Bandit.) He dashed the other way, but the back of his collar was gripped, and he was lifted from the ground. He whimpered and went limp. "Shit......"  
  
"You're damn right 'shit'! You failed! You know the consequences!"  
  
"Hai......"  
  
Bandit pulled his fist back, and let it fly straight into his spine. The small boy cried out and arched away from the blow. "Itaaaaaiii...gyyaaa!!!" A few more punches landed on his form, both on front and back, and he was dropped to the ground, and left there.  
  
He fisted his hands and whined high in his throat. He wanted to scream so badly.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
He moaned in reply, and slowly picked himself up. He looked up into a slanted pair of red eyes, and he crawled away to give himself some room. He gave the teen one more, quick glance before turning his attention to his wounds. He had a cut on his arm, so he licked it clean and looked back at the kid. "And you are?"  
  
"Yami. Your name is?"  
  
"Kurohi Tatsaki," he replied shortly. The beating took a lot from him.  
  
"I heard you being called 'Black Fire'..."  
  
"That's my...... nickname."  
  
How he hated lying! Why did he have to?!  
  
"...Who was that man who was treating you so poorly?"  
  
"My... my boss."  
  
"Do you need help getting home? No one seems to want to duel me right now."  
  
"N-no! I'll be okay on my own!" he stuttered to the King of Games, scrambling up to his feet. He scratched the back of his head. "Really, it's only he that picks on me like that, which is quite infrequent. No one else thus far. Besides, I think I have some leftover schoolwork I need to finish. Ciao!" He dashed off quickly.  
  
//Strange, there was no school today. Why would he have homework?//  
  
/I don't know.../  
  
************  
  
Panting harshly, I dashed softly upstairs to my room. I removed my dog tags and dueling gear and rubbed my wrist. That was the downside of the newest dueling gear: If you got an itch then you couldn't scratch it.  
  
Flopping onto my bed, I kicked a lever, which caused the drapes to open, allowing the remaining sunlight to shine inside my small room.  
  
//You seem tired...//  
  
/Try getting through a beating and running home unaided....../  
  
//Oh. Well, try running through a desert to get away from people who want your hide, and your rival is the one who's supposed to decide your fate.//  
  
I frowned. /Jeez, what crawled up *yer* ass and died?/ //...//  
  
/Sorry, I'm just not in the best of moods right now. I'm not really fit for human company./  
  
//My fault for whining.//  
  
My frown deepened and I turned to my side, about to doze off. /You weren't whining./  
  
//But I...//  
  
I suddenly felt sleep claim me.  
  
**************  
  
The crowds of people were chaotic and rushed. Some were talking with their friends, and others walking by themselves. Kurohi Tatsaki was one of the latter. He had no current friends, and was barely even the height of five feet. His hair spiked upward gracefully, and the rest fell down in a milk chocolate waterfall ending in some soft, short spikes.  
  
The perfect target for the most feared bully in the school: Ushio. He grabbed the soft-looking boy by the collar of his shirt, about to throw a fist into the boy's gut, when his fist was stopped by a small hand, firmly holding his wrist. The grip was so tough, you could hear the bully's bones groaning, about to shatter.  
  
"Gy...!!"  
  
The boy frowned up at the bully. "Yes? Something you want from me?" he asked simply, with a dull edge. He was clearly bored out of his mind.  
  
"Let me go, you shrimp!" he growled. The boy raised one dark eyebrow suspiciously.  
  
"And let you harm me? I think not. Then again, your attempts would be in vain." He tightened his grip, and Ushio let out a startled yelp as his bones cracked a little.  
  
Pulling the hand near his face, he whispered, "...because you can't hurt me." The boy used the momentum of the pull to throw the bully across the hall.  
  
He landed at the other end... many meters from the boy with a LOUD thud.  
  
The others gawked. The shrimp bested the bully? Ushio?!  
  
They reacted in fear, and left the area, heading toward their classes.  
  
There were six minutes left until the first bell.  
  
The lone boy, still in his ending throwing pose, straightened up and looked around slowly with almost dead eyes. "The hell...? Why did everyone leave?"  
  
"I saw the whole thing. They all reacted in fear. Even us teachers don't stand up to Ushio. You're different, so they're afraid."  
  
Kurohi turned his gaze to the teacher, eyes now almost piercing. "I'll keep Ushio in line, if that is what you're asking."  
  
"More or less. Come, let's settle your schedule."  
  
"Yessir."  
  
******  
  
"We have a new student today. Come on in!"  
  
From outside, my shaky fingers gripped the door and slowly slid it open.  
  
"Hurry it up, we haven't all day."  
  
Frowning and fighting the horrible feeling in my stomach, I force it open the rest of the way. "Gomen nasai, sensei," I murmur, moving in. "Ano, Watashi wa Kurohi Tatsaki. I just moved in a few weeks ago..."  
  
"At least he speaks decently!" a girl.  
  
"Hey, you didn't hear yet?!" a boy in the front row.  
  
"Hear what?" a girl beside the boy.  
  
"He beat Ushio!!" the boy.  
  
"He WHAT??!!!!!!" the girl.  
  
"That shrimp?!" a stocky boy in the back row.  
  
"Ano, I can-"  
  
"He's too small! How did he do such a thing?!" another girl.  
  
"The hell?! How did he beat Ushio?!" another boy.  
  
Frowning, I remained silent. They didn't want to hear my side. That was fine. Let them believe whatever they wish. I took a seat behind a tricolor-haired boy.  
  
Huh, I thought I saw that hairstyle somewhere before.  
  
Where had I...  
  
***Flashback***  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
I moaned in reply, and slowly picked myself up. I looked up into a slanted pair of red eyes, and I crawled away to give myself some room. I gave the teen one more, quick glance before turning my attention to my burning wounds. I had a cut on my arm, so I licked it clean and looked back at the kid. "And you are?"  
  
"Yami. Your name is?"  
  
***End Flashback***  
  
...Oh, yes, that's right. The only other possibility is that he has Sennen item.  
  
That puzzle...! Sennen Puzzle?  
  
Yes... I saw Yami near that dimly lit alleyway.  
  
It only happened yesterday, but it is like it happened centuries ago. The details are already worn, and are fading quickly.  
  
But Kaiba......  
  
I turned my head, blushed, and quickly turned away.  
  
Aaaaah! He's here! Kaiba goes here, huh?!  
  
Just my luck...  
  
************************  
  
I... I lost.  
  
I lost my Blue-Eyes White Dragon...  
  
Blue-Eyes...  
  
My eyes become watery, but nothing spills. I kick a lone pebble across the sidewalk, dueling disk folded up. My locator card was gone, too. "K'so..." appears to be my only vocabulary, and I am so absorbed in my loss that I fail to sense the presence coming up swiftly behind me.  
  
The back of my collar is snagged, and a solid fist lands across my face. For the first time in years, I cry out in pain, going all but slack in my boss's grip. I growl harshly as he continues to throw his fists into my lean form, and I vaguely hear in the distance, "If you value your life, you'd better get out of here."  
  
'Boss' drops me to the hard ground and I find no strength to rise. It is taxing to even open my eyes.  
  
I hear fading footsteps, followed by approaching, lighter ones. A hand is laid on my arm and I visibly shrink away, opening my eyes as quickly as I dared. I blinked to confirm my vision as a set of cold blue eyes are set on me. "K......ai...ba..." I whisper. It hurts to speak.  
  
"Why was that guy beating you up?"  
  
"I... lost..."  
  
"To whom?"  
  
"Rex Raptor... K'so... Blue-Eyes White... 's gone... K'so..."  
  
His eyes narrow. "You lost your Blue-Eyes? How did you..."  
  
I tried to rise, sitting up with little help from the other male. I glared at him, forgetting the odd sensations that tickled my nerves whenever I saw him. "...K'so..." I was a nervous wreck and I *KNEW* it. "...K'so..."  
  
"Yeah, you just said that, so how did you lose it?"  
  
"Rex Raptor beat me... Blue-Eyes..."  
  
"Hmph. Maybe Yugi'll wind up getting his hands on it. I wouldn't worry about your card."  
  
I blinked. "Uh?" Did he just reassure me? How odd of him.  
  
"Don't make me repeat myself, kid. Now, tell me about that guy who was beatin' the shit out of you."  
  
"My boss. He don't like losers," I replied rather fluidly. "I lost, so, in his book, I'm a loser. I don't deserve to hang out with him. That beating just, pretty much, fired me."  
  
"What did your group do?"  
  
"Card theft, more or less. If I won a card, I had to give it to boss, er, Bandit Soronto."  
  
He frowned. "That jerk? Come with me. We're gonna bust him up."  
  
I stood up, but my leg went out from under me as soon as I placed weight on it, and I fell over with a loud grunt. "Itai..."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"My leg doesn't want to work..."  
  
"Then make it."  
  
I rose to my one good leg, and my other leg throbbed. My ankle - it had nothing to do with it. It worked but it was like the calf and knee were malfunctioning. "How?" He lifted me up by the shoulders, slinging one of my arms around his neck. I almost panicked, but remained calm externally.  
  
I could feel his pulse near my fingertips, throbbing normally.  
  
Inside, a part of me wanted to flee. I leaned my head a little bit closer. "Arigatou... it just... went out from under me..." 'And it's been happening more and more often... This is the forth time this week.'  
  
"As soon as you can walk, I'm dropping you."  
  
"Fine. As soon as I feel I can walk, I'll walk..." I snapped back softly.  
  
"Good."  
  
The walk continued for a second, before he asked, "Where do you live? I have a limousine that can take us to your place."  
  
"Really? You'd do that?" A short pause. "Thank you." I heard my heart pound loudly against my chest, radiating up my throat and down to my stomach. I tried my best to ignore it. "I've heard about you. You seem much nicer than what everyone else tells me you are like..."  
  
"Hn. I'm not like this often. I don't care to be. And it would be to your best interest on your health if you would shut up."  
  
So, I shut up, but I added before I did, "Um, my home is near the Turtle Card Shop."  
  
"I know where that is. All right, I'll take you there."  
  
***  
  
"Thanks, Kaiba. I don't think how I could have managed getting home without your help. I'll have to make it up to you sometime... Perhaps a duel?" I asked, cautiously leaning a little weight on my previously injured leg.  
  
"You're on. Tomorrow?"  
  
I nodded. "Sure. I'm all freed up then. During school? Lunch?"  
  
He nodded, and left.  
  
I limped into my apartment. "Mom! Dad! I'm back!"  
  
"We were worried about you, son!"  
  
"Where were you?!"  
  
"Tournament week. You don't have to worry anymore... I lost, and with it, my Blue-Eyes White Dragon."  
  
"YOU LOST YOUR DRAGON?!"  
  
I glared up at my younger brother. It was SO not fair! He was two years my junior and still. "Shut up, Jake. I'll manage to get another, or get it back eventually," I clipped. "For now, I'm going into my room."  
  
"Without dinner?"  
  
"I'll come down in a few hours."  
  
***************  
  
"I sacrifice Petite Dragon for Yamadron [1600/1800] in Defense Mode. Your turn, Kaiba."  
  
"Fine, then. I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered [1600/1500]. Attack that Set card to the left!"  
  
Flipping the card over, the brown and silver-haired boy chuckled. "Ha, it was the Wall of Illusion! According to its affect, since you attacked this card, Ryu-Kishin Powered` now goes back into your hand and you have lost 250 Life Points."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"It's still your turn, unless it is now mine."  
  
"It's your move."  
  
"Okay..." He drew a card and gazed at it a moment. 'I know this card so well it isn't even funny...' "I play Drill Bug, and attack your Life Points. Now, I get to find my Parasite Paracide Card, shuffle my deck, and place it facedown on top of my deck. Once I draw it, it goes face up in your deck, and that is shuffled. Once you draw it, you must special-summon it onto your field, and all your monsters become insects." He flicked through the deck, found the card, shuffled his deck in one fluid motion, and placed the card facedown on top of the deck. "Your turn."  
  
They played for a while longer. Kurohi's Parasite Paracide card transformed Kaiba's cards into insects after six turns!  
  
Kaiba still won, even if his Blue-Eyes White Dragon was an insect.  
  
"Good game," murmured the small boy. "Even with my cards, I still lost."  
  
"I'm only rival to one person: Yugu Mutou. There's no way you should have even had a chance against me."  
  
A light eyebrow rose in query. "I may have lost, but I lasted twenty turns."  
  
"That was twenty turns?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Standing up quickly and gathering his cards, he strode out of the courtyard. Leaving the other boy with an odd sense of loss lingering in his chest. He frowned slightly at the strange sensation, gathered his cards, and stalked out the opposite door. He was going to be contemplating about this for a WHILE.  
  
"Hey kid, wanna duel?"  
  
He looked up at the blond-haired, brown-eyed youth. "Um, I just finished a duel with Kaiba and I'm a little tired..."  
  
"Oh? Who won?"  
  
"Kaiba; I lasted twenty turns."  
  
"Twenty?"  
  
Nodding once, the boy walked right past him. It was good to know that some people were decent to others half their size. Perhaps, it was only because he beat that creep, Ushio?  
  
He suddenly wondered why he felt odd when he was near Kaiba. As if he wanted to see Kaiba again.  
  
Well, of course he did. Kaiba was a nice guy, once you got deep down to it, right? Right? He helped him when he harmed his leg somehow. Rubbing his eyes, he thought nothing further of it. There was a dance coming up, and, whether he liked it or not, he was going to attend.  
  
After all, he HAD to wear his black leather attire sometime.  
  
**********************  
  
He gazed at himself in the mirror, shining blue eyes glowing brightly in the dim light. He smirked at himself, satisfied with how his attire turned out. A black shirt hugged his chest tightly as a leather black vest gripped his shoulders almost as tightly as a vice, but eagerly curving at his every motion. His dark pants clung to his slight, almost feminine curves and a strange belt looped loosely around his slender waist, a striped tip draping across one side of his waist. Tall boots that went up to his knees barely hindered his range of movement, and a diamond-shaped bangle hugged his left arm, two thick chains twining up said arm and looping around his neck tightly, but not so much to choke him.  
  
//You look good.//  
  
/Thanks./  
  
Nodding, he spun around with a flourish, and went to the dance. 


	2. Come, Dance With Me

Chapter Two: Come, Dance With Me  
  
"speaking" 'thinking' /hikari thoughts to yami/ //yami thoughts to hikari//  
  
The fast beat of the music always attracted his attention. Fluidly moving his hips and the rest of his body with the music, he caught a few people's glances, but not much more than that.  
  
He stopped dancing a moment, giving them a look that he hoped said, "Look, I'm here to have fun, and if you're going to gawk at me, I'd rather go elsewhere, but just because of how your stupid minds work, I'm not going to move! So ha!" Frowning, he turned around, and continued to dance near the spotlight.  
  
The music changed again. Something slow. He stepped away from the floor, and sat on a chair nearby. If you didn't have a date, you got the hell off the floor until the music changed again. At least, that's what you normally did. Let the couples dance a slow passion and then the rest of them got on with their lives.  
  
"Hey, cutie, you have a date?"  
  
Looking up, he blinked emotionless eyes at the female. Plain brown hair, bright green eyes. Taller than he was. He shook his head and scanned the crowd for someone. He didn't really know why he looked for this one person.  
  
Kaiba.  
  
"No," he replied automatically. "but have you seen Seto Kaiba around here?"  
  
She blinked. Why did this kid want to know Seto Kaiba's whereabouts? "Yeah, why?"  
  
He blushed. In the dark light, the girl couldn't see it. Human eyes were so... blind. "No reason."  
  
The girl pouted in the sparkling lights, showing off her light pink lipstick. "C'mon! Someone who wants to know where Kaiba is has GOT to have a reason!"  
  
'I think I might have a crush on him...' He didn't answer. "No, not really. He's kinda the first friend I made around here."  
  
"Nani? How can that be? He's a cruel, nearly heartless billionaire!"  
  
"So?" 'I don't mind what you call him. I've seen the other side... sort of.'  
  
Silence, then, "You're impossible, kid. Bye."  
  
He stood up abruptly and reached out his hand to stop her. "Ano, matte!"  
  
"What?" she asked, turning around.  
  
"Where he?"  
  
"Last I saw, outside." She closed her eyes. "Doshi-"  
  
He was gone.  
  
She opened them. "-te?" She sighed. "Weirdo."  
  
********  
  
'Where is he?' He panted and looked around the exterior of the building. The loud music droned in a volume about as half loud as it was inside. 'Where is Kaiba?' He gripped his chest as an odd sensation coursed through it. Eyeing his surroundings, he scanned for the boy.  
  
Now that he thought about it, what in hell was he doing?  
  
A flicker of gray and brown passed his gaze, and he followed it on silent feet. Peeking around the corner, he saw the boy leaning alongside a steel railing, gazing at the streets and lights below. It was a clear, cool night, with a little breeze.  
  
Gently, it pulled at Kaiba's almost stiff looking strands of hair.  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, he heard himself all but whisper, "Hey, Kaiba. Mind if I hang out around here?"  
  
"Free country."  
  
He felt himself hesitate, then leaned on the railing right next to him, his lopsided brown hair spikes brushed against Kaiba's left arm, which he shifted slightly, and turned his gaze a little to glare at the other boy.  
  
The latter looked back, eyes all but alive. He looked away, and out at the streets below. 'Oh, man... Kaiba's right next to me, and he's making me feel very weird...'  
  
"Well?"  
  
The boy stiffened slightly and murmured, "'Well,' what?"  
  
"I doubt you came out here just for kicks and giggles."  
  
Kurohi hesitated before muttering, "Not necessarily that. But I didn't come out here on business, either."  
  
"Oh? Enlighten me, do."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Silence. Kaiba peeked closer at the other boy.  
  
His eyes were glistening. He blinked and they faded away to nothing. He angled his eyes to face Kaiba. His lips parted slightly, but he quickly shut them again. He looked away.  
  
The other male didn't like the suspense. "*Well*?"  
  
'I think I may have a crush on you... but I'm afraid that you'll...' Instead, he uttered, "Nothing... it... it's nothing." '...maybe I should ask?' "But, ah..." A small, nervous smile tried to form, but he forced it away. "I haven't anyone to dance with... ... so I was wondering if you would?" He hastily added, "B-but none of the slow ones, I assure you if you don't want to! Just... come, dance with me? Onegai shimasu?"  
  
He frowned slightly. "I guess it's better than being outside," he finally said, preparing to go into the building.  
  
'H-he will?! What have I gotten myself into~?' "...Not inside, if that's okay?"  
  
The boy paused. "On second thought, my thoughts exactly."  
  
He nodded, stepped back, and extended one hand up in a small motion as if to say, "Care to dance?"  
  
Hesitating, he took it, and they moved. At first as two, but gradually as one with the swift beat. Moving apart, moving together with grace, then apart again, and fully apart before rejoining.  
  
The short boy found himself in a slight mental dilemma: Here he was, with the one person he ever found blossoming affections to, and he was now dealing with the strangest, urgent feeling in his lower pelvis. It felt like it had to be taken care of *now*, and Kaiba's presence was only making the feeling all the more imperative.  
  
After a while, the music gradually wound down, and the two boys released each other's hands. (A/N: Make up your own dances. I can't describe them 'cause I don't know how to dance so well.)  
  
The taller youth was surprised to find a small smile gracing the other boy's rounded face. "I had a good time." His voice was rather soft, slightly winded, from his attempts to *control* his impulses. "...More so than I ever had in years..." He paused again, holding back more of his urgency. "I thank you. So far, you're the nicest person I've met."  
  
The male frowned, but said nothing. Was this kid lying or what?  
  
Kurohi looked up at Kaiba with an oddly serene expression, then slowly made his way inside. Blinking at the other's actions a second, the billionaire, too, made his way inside.  
  
'I'm never gonna understand that kid...'  
  
***  
  
Seeing an angry guy was one thing.  
  
Seeing an angry guy shoving you into a locker lock was another.  
  
Seeing an angry guy shoving you into a locker lock and beating you in the stomach for no good reason - and in the dark no less - went too far.  
  
In his preoccupation, the bully had decided to take advantage of the smaller boy, who was still too shocked to deflect or even block any of the blows he was receiving. A hooking swipe to his face forced a small cry out of his throat, and was followed up by one after another, quickly drawing blood on his once perfect skin.  
  
"This one's for trying to break my punching fist!" He felt a sharp blow to his shoulder, and hissed in pain, his head trying to curl in on it and protect it from further harm.  
  
"This one's for insulting me!!" He felt the cutting blows to his stomach and then another one to his jaw. A loud crack was heard.  
  
"AND THIS ONE'S FOR THROWING ME ACROSS THE SCHOOL!!!" He punched him one last time, sending the boy sprawling across the floor in one gory streak. As the smaller boy slowly sat up, cracking his jaw into its proper place as he did so, blood trickled slower and slower to the ground... until it suddenly stopped. A dark aura seemed to surround the boy as he slowly stood up in one graceful motion. His belt unbound itself and lashed left and right in one orange and black blur, quick as a katana. He bared his teeth in a silent snarl. The cuts from the blows to his face were gone except for pale scars across his once pure white, porcelain skin.  
  
Kurohi knew not what he was doing. All he could feel was cold anger blossoming in his body. So uncontrollable, so horrible... so frightening. Inside, he was all but yelling harsh remarks, because inside, he was frightened.  
  
Ushio had actually managed to harm him. No one used to be able to. No one was supposed to be able to faze him! NO ONE!!  
  
But all Ushio saw was his shell. Pulling back a fist, Kurohi punched the air, sending sharp gusts of wind to send Ushio down the hall again. His aura gradually wound down. His tail wraps itself around his waist, and, like the way he came, he left the school grounds. After all, he still had to get home for sleep.  
  
***  
  
I wonder why I do nothing, just stand here behind the corner. I have never backed down from anything before in my life, but that kid, I see, needs to stand up for himself again.  
  
It's Ushio again. But, I sense something wrong with the situation.  
  
Ushio is no longer the victim.  
  
Kurohi is.  
  
I hear a sickening **crack** followed by a pop as the bully has punched the smaller boy in the jaw, following up by a punch to his neck.  
  
The boy is dripping in blood. Popping his jaw into place, he stands up in one fluid motion, snarling at the bully in silence. The air begins to move as if there is a breeze, his eyes turn cold and dark, and he punches the air, and a split second later...  
  
Ushio has made his mark in the wall... again.  
  
Looking back at the boy, a dim blur moves from side to side, almost as if it were an extension of his own body. It slowly stops lashing, and rests like a yarn in the air for a split second before it wraps around his waist again.  
  
Blinking once, as if in a daze, he slowly makes his way out of the school.  
  
Who exactly is this boy that I aided that one day when he lost his Blue- Eyes White Dragon?  
  
And... is he even human?  
  
Making up my mind quickly, I decide to follow him.  
  
After all, he's the first enigma I have ever considered to solve.  
  
******  
  
The air was cold, my leather doing nothing to shield me this time. It cut softly through my skin, trickling quickly to just about every appendage in my body. Vaguely, I consider of having had let my hair down instead of spiking it like I normally do.  
  
Nah, I look too much like a girl as is.  
  
"Ah, Black Fire! There you are! Come here!"  
  
A shiver runs down my spine, and I quickly turn around to face my ex-boss. "What is it now? Remember, you fired me?"  
  
"That's all in the past," he hisses, dark green eyes serpentine in the lack of light. "I see you've gotten fairly close to Seto Kaiba."  
  
My trademark frown tugs my lips downward. "I don't work for you anymore. I don't have to listen to you anymore, Bandit."  
  
"I am STILL your boss and you will continue to call me 'BOSS'!"  
  
"No, Bandit."  
  
"Are you sure? The guys an' I'll change your mind real quick."  
  
Sensing other energy signals was my forte. I noted ten plus Bandit. But wait... someone else was here... I sniffed the air, and my insides churned so much I was glad I hadn't eaten in three hours.  
  
Kaiba was here, too. I didn't want him to be here. He might get hurt in this mess... Did Bandit...  
  
"Leave Kaiba out of this. If it's his money or anything else horribly of him you want, I can't let you near him." Whoa... I said a mouthful. But wait... I was protecting him?  
  
Well, I just learned he's one hell of a gentle dancer and he certainly knows how to make my body react like it never did before.  
  
"Tha's too bad, squirt. Well, you were once a great asset... Guys..." He paused, a small smirk curving his lips upward. "Kill him. Oh, and leave Kaiba-boy to me. I can smell him from this distance."  
  
"I get some of his blood once you're done!"  
  
"Yeah! Me too!"  
  
Kaiba...!! "NOO!!" My tail unbound itself just as I set my hand, palm forward, at my boss. I felt energy collect into it, and I released it.  
  
Bandit suddenly caught fire as the energy ball collided with his clothes, but it soon went out when it suddenly started to pour. My hair suddenly plastered itself against my neck and back, making me shiver. "Shit..."  
  
"Yeah, you're right, 'shit'!"  
  
Turning my head, I kept my eyes on who was talking, but also on who wasn't talking. I had to finish this fight quickly, or else Kaiba might...  
  
"NO one makes Bandit-sama catch fire!"  
  
"Bandit is our only family, and you wish to burn him?"  
  
"You were once one of us, but Bandit has graciously given us the go- ahead..."  
  
".to end your life as ruthlessly and as painfully as possible!"  
  
I felt an insane smile curve my lips upward. "Bring on the reaper."  
  
"Let's get 'im!"  
  
They dashed forward, but they suddenly dashed the other way as roaring white flames surrounded their would-be victim. "Holy fire! Burn their spirits to dust!"  
  
The fire spread, leaving shrill screams of agony as they went. Their bodies were unharmed, but I could smell something burning.  
  
And I felt something burning on my very body. Ignoring it all as best I could, I set out to find Kaiba.  
  
"Kaiba--! Kaiba, answer me!"  
  
Sniffing the air, I smelled blood. I followed it, and once I reached the war zone, I did the unthinkable. I went into its core. The blood I had smelled was both Bandit's and Kaiba's blood. The smell of Bandit's blood filled me with growing satisfaction... however, the smell of Kaiba's blood made me want to hack up my insides.  
  
Yes, I smelled a great difference. Bandit's blood, though smelling sweet, had a slight tang of metal.  
  
Kaiba's was... otherworldly. Foreign. Intoxicating.  
  
I never wanted to smell it again. That meant that he was injured. I guess having a very, very keen sense of smell has its downsides.  
  
"Bandit!"  
  
"What? How did you survive?! Where are my men?!"  
  
I smirked, not acknowledging Kaiba's presence at the moment. "Simple. I, quite literally burned their souls. Outside, they're unharmed. Inside, they are dead."  
  
"W-What?! How dare you!!"  
  
I cocked my head to one side. "You tried to kill us both. Now, I'm going to return the favor."  
  
"W-What?!!!"  
  
Couldn't he speak more than one word? Suddenly, the burning sensation increased, and I fell to all fours, shaking. "Wha... what's happening... to my body...? No... what's going on...?" I felt a searing sensation and screamed when my body suddenly shifted and changed. My skin became hard and metallic pink. My face elongated into a blade, and I grew talons. I felt agonizing pain.  
  
"Someone... make it stop!! Please!! Raaaaaghh?!!!" On my forearms, wings grew, and my tail merged with itself, divided, and became feathers. I cried out again, but I didn't recognize my own voice. I took to the air, and fired my flames from my beak.  
  
Bandit took to shelter, but I pursued, firing again and again. Each time, he took to shelter. Finding him behind some rubble, I attacked with close range, tearing up his face. He countered with a knife to my chest, tacking several strikes, and I nearly burned him. I managed to corner him after a while. I murmured, "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. You're a dead man, Bandit my boy... dead... Now DIE!" I launched another flame, but not before a series of bullets pierced my chest.  
  
I felt myself falling.  
  
And when I stopped falling, I rose and hovered in mid air.  
  
What was up? What was down?  
  
Where was I?  
  
What was I?  
  
The darkness consumed me.  
  
**********  
  
I sit beside my bed, arms folded across my chest. I look upon a pale, scarred face, but even the scars are fading quickly. His breathing is now slow and even instead of ragged and uneven, so I do not worry about his survival. He will pull through.  
  
In the silence, I wonder why I even worried in the first place. After all, I am Seto Kaiba, one of the biggest wise-guys and jerks in the school. I'm not supposed to care, but...  
  
Why does this boy think otherwise? Because I helped him?  
  
I laugh, and my brother enters the room, a joyful expression on his little face. "Big Brother, is he going to be all right? I heard you laughing, so he's gonna make it?"  
  
I nod. "Yes, Mokuba. He will." 'Which may or may not help me straighten things out.'  
  
"Um, Seto?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I got tabs on Kurohi's Blue-Eyes. Yugi got it. He's gonna be happy, huh Big Brother?"  
  
I nod again. "I am certain he will be."  
  
"Certain... I will be... what?"  
  
I look down sharply at the soft voice. He blinks at my hard expression, large eyes wide a second, before they narrow slightly. "Certain, that I will be what?"  
  
"Yugi has your Blue-Eyes!"  
  
He blinks incredulously at little Mokuba. "What?! Yugi... has my Blue- Eyes?? Thanks for the info, Mokuba." He graces him with a small smile, then turns to me. "Kaiba, are you all right? I didn't mean to get you into such a mess..."  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
He begins to sit up, but decides against it and remains where he is. "Because my ex-boss almost killed you. I smelled a good deal of your blood all over the place. You could have died in there, had I fought my other battles any longer. You should have taken a different route home..."  
  
'He doesn't know I followed him.'  
  
"Ano, Kaiba?" he asks after Mokuba leaves to continue monitoring the duels.  
  
"What?"  
  
"S'might sound strange, but... my chest hurts."  
  
"You were bloodied up around there. Several gunshot wounds and a few knife cuts."  
  
"I know that. I still remember it."  
  
"No one can ever just forget something like that." 'Not even me... Definitely not when I saw your near dead body laying there in that dirty puddle of both blood and water... The water ruthlessly spraying your face and your blood slipping just as fast as your candle's flame of a life...'  
  
He looks at his hands, sighs, and shifts in the bed so that he is looking right at me without much trouble. He opens his mouth to speak, but snaps it shut and instead snuggles further into the blankets.  
  
I smile a little. He looks kinda cute like that.  
  
No, no! *Kaiba* does *not* say "cute"! Never mind a Kaiba *brother*!  
  
"Never knew your smiles were so beautiful..."  
  
I snap my gaze at the half-asleep boy. "What?" he asks. "'Snot like I lie to people I consider, at minimum, friend."  
  
"You don't know what you're talking about."  
  
He frowns, sits up, and clutches his all but naked chest, right over the wound. I had to remove his attire to get to the wounds and bandage them up. They were stained red, but now they weren't getting any redder. "Yes, I do... I think," he groans because of the wound.  
  
"Ha! You don't know!"  
  
His gaze falters a little. "I sure as hell don't know quite why I'm still here. And I don't know why the hell you brought me here," The grip on his chest relaxes a little as the pain slowly ebbs, it seems. "but I do know one thing: I always find answers to the things I don't understand. So, talk."  
  
"YOU are not in the position to be interrogating."  
  
"What," he asks sarcastically. "are you gonna be my mother?!"  
  
"Don't back-talk to me, little man! For YOUR information, I brought you here, nearly dead, to my mansion!"  
  
The boy paused, angry gaze faltering. It quickly slipped, revealing the weakened and tired façade of a boy who had almost nothing. The question he then asked, was a quiet, empty one. "Why...? Why did you save me, then?"  
  
I was silent. I had no reason. I didn't need a real reason this time. "I guess, because you're a second rival to me besides Yugi."  
  
He frowns, and I realize I have said the wrong thing. "Just because I'm a near rival, huh?" he asks dully. "Suit yourself."  
  
"Okay, then, why did you try to get in the middle of mine and your ex- boss's fight?" I clip.  
  
His face seems conflicted for a long moment, and before I can snap a comment at him, at how his mind was so slow-witted, he says softly, "I couldn't let you die. You mean too much to me..."  
  
I feigned wanting to throw up. "Damn, that's just too sweet for my stomach. See ya 'round." I start to stand up, but stop when his hand grasps mine. I look down at the darkest pair of blue eyes I have ever seen.  
  
They're nearly ivory black. I can almost see at how just several kills in one night can scar someone for life.  
  
I saw fear. I saw his fear of how his humanity might be lost further. First he has a tail, next he becomes some shining monster that looks exactly like the Seiyaryu card, and lastly, he just killed several people.  
  
His hand squeezes mine, showing through contact how shaky he is about the situation. His eyes are watery with tears held back. A second later, I find myself holding him like a second brother, but the way he's sending sensations through me, unlike a brotherly embrace from Mokuba, tells me another story entirely.  
  
I can hear his pounding heart, and I can feel it against my stomach. It's thudding hard and fast. He has almost completely submitted to fear or something like that.  
  
He's still shaking, and I tighten my embrace. I realize I have closed my eyes; no need for sight right now.  
  
My hearing heightened a little, I hear his breaths coming out in soft pants. My heart speeds up a little to match it. My instincts want to make his pain go away, but my ego does not wish to do anything further than this.  
  
"Kurohi?"  
  
The panting suddenly stops. "Mmm?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Don't try to hide it. My hearing is very acute..."  
  
"What are you talking about?" I ask, eyes opening.  
  
He touches me *down there,* but just on the joint between pelvis and leg. My heart speeds up faster than his is going.  
  
"Your heart just sped up."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Scared of me?" he asks innocently enough.  
  
"No. I haven't let go of you, have I?"  
  
He hesitates. "No, you haven't."  
  
I make to go away, so he lets me this time. I leave the room without a word. Now, I'm afraid I might have fallen into a web I'll never be able to escape.  
  
That Kurohi fellow sure has a lot of problems; I'm not sure I can help him solve them all.  
  
Why did he think I was afraid of him? Doesn't he know what arousal is?  
  
Damn, I'm getting aroused just thinking about that brat!  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...I'm screwed. 


End file.
